He Must Have Run a Mile

Rich Harden may not have the kind of stuff A’s fans remember from his best days, but he’s a hardy sort. Before the game, A’s infielders were making practice throws with gloves on. Some of their players are wearing ski caps underneath their hats. Harden, true to his tough-Canadian roots, is pitching this game in shirtsleeves.

So far, the Tigers haven’t undressed him. Harden’s latest escape act owes some heavy thanks to Mark Kotsay, who made consecutive great catches in the bottom of the fourth.

Omar Infante, justifying manager Jim Leyland’s pregame faith, led off with a single and stole second with out out. Ramon Santiago followed with a blooper to center, where Kotsay made a fine, sprawling catch after a long run.

Mark Kotsay helped keep the A’s in the game, here with a nice running catch in the 4th inning.

That was nothing, though, compared to the next at-bat. Kotsay was playing relatively shallow when Curtis Granderson hit a drive to deep right-center. If there’s one thing Comerica has in common with the old Tiger Stadium, it’s a spacious center field, and Kotsay sprinted halfway to the downtown skyscrapers in pursuit, finally hauling in the ball with an outstretched glove on the dead run.

Somehow, Harden perseveres. The lead remains just 2-0. Rogers doesn’t look any more vulnerable, though. He struck out Frank Thomas and Eric Chavez in the fourth, and he just ended the fifth with a double-play grounder off the bat of D’Angelo Jimenez.